


Release Me, Satan! (But Like... Don't)

by celiasnowberry



Series: The Tournament: I'll Take Care of You [1]
Category: Teenage Bounty Hunters (TV)
Genre: AAAARRRGGG, Caretaking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Holding Hands, Implied Sexual Content, One Shot, Power Play, Secret Crush, Slow Build, Slow Burn, cuteness, i love stepril, with the intention of writing more! maybe...!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29839236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celiasnowberry/pseuds/celiasnowberry
Summary: April comes to Sterling for a favour. She leaves with a fluttering heart, and a plan."With lunch nearly over and the bell bound to ring at any second, Sterling’s little wrist worked like it had never worked before.""As April walked through the doors into the hallway, she couldn’t help but feel a protective fluttering in her stomach. Sterling sitting on her lonesome, working so passionately and diligently to get ready for the tournament, was such a precious sight.I mean… a pathetic sight. It was such a pathetic sight."
Relationships: April Stevens/Sterling Wesley
Series: The Tournament: I'll Take Care of You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2193660
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	Release Me, Satan! (But Like... Don't)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever fanfic... eeek! just a little fluffy one-shot (but if interest piques, I'll happily write more) because I finished TBH and was left with a Stepril-sized hole in my heart.
> 
> let me know what you think! if you have comments or ideas for the direction of the story or just want to fangirl over TBH, message me on twitter :) im friendly, i promise <3
> 
> @celiasnowberry

With lunch nearly over and the bell bound to ring at any second, Sterling’s little wrist worked like it had never worked before.

What? No, not like that. Pervert. This year’s debate tournament was fast approaching and she had been preparing for it ever since that sneaky little shit Craig Wu crushed Willingham’s entire team the year before. The plaza was so alive with students that nobody even noticed Sterling tucked away at the round table in the back, not even the people sat next to her (not that they were paying much attention to _anything_ , as, whoever they were, they seemed to be too engrossed in exploring each other’s mouths). As the rest of the school spent what precious little time they had during lunch eating, socialising and generally enjoying the frivolities of life, Sterling Wesley carried on scribbling away furiously in her notebook.

Eyebrows furrowed, tongue sneaking out from the side of her pursed lips, smoke billowing from the end of her pen from all of the fire debate points she was writing — Sterling was in the zone. She was so in the zone that she almost didn’t notice the 5-foot 3-inch shadow that slowly loomed over her from behind. The air suddenly turned cold. The couple beside her suddenly stop sucking each other’s faces, and instead stared in horror before making a hasty exit. Sterling’s pen suddenly stopped in its fiery tracks. She looked up, and… were those devil horns sticking out from the head of the shadow? A claw grabbed her shoulder.

“RELEASE ME, SATAN,” Sterling cried and jolted forward as she willed the Lord to protect her.

“Will you _please_ restrain yourself?!” April ordered in a hushed yet frantic tone, leaning in close to Sterling’s ear.

“Holy balls, what is wrong with you?! I almost had a heart attack.”

“ _Me_? You’re embarrassing both of us with all that barbaric yelling…”

Standing upright again, April removed her hand from Sterling’s shoulder and smoothed out the front of her shirt, quickly scanning the area to make sure nobody was staring. Then she slid into the seat next to her.

“I need you to do something,” April said matter-of-factly.

Sterling looked at her. She didn’t seem nearly as intimidating now, as she had to tilt her piercing gaze upwards slightly to talk to her. In fact, to Sterling, April even seemed a little bit nervous. She always did when they sat this close.

“Since when do you ask for _my_ help?”

“Since nobody else is available.”

“I’m a little busy right now,” Sterling said, motioning towards her hefty binder.

“It’ll only take a second.”

“Ok, ok, what?”

“I need you to write me a note to get out of gym. Signed off by my Mom.”

“Uhh… why? And why me?”

“ _Because_!” April yelped, then caught herself. She hushed her voice again and lowered her head. “Because I say so. And because everyone knows Blair is the best at forging signatures, but since I can’t find her…” she trailed off.

“…you decided to come to me?” Sterling asked, and couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. “What, because we’re twins you think we must magically share the same criminal abilities?”

“Well… do you?”

Sterling’s laugh faded and they both sat looking into each other’s blue eyes for a moment.

“Yes.”

“Well, there you go.”

“But that’s besides the point! The point is, your theory was ridiculous.”

“ _Sterling_! Focus.” April snapped her fingers in front of her. “Will you write it or not?”

“Gym is important for physical health, April. Why do you want to get out of it?”

April huffed frustratedly. “Fine! Not that it’s any of your business, but if you must know… I’m currently experiencing the malaise that accompanies the phenomenon of womanhood.”

Sterling stared at her blankly.

“I have wicked-bad period cramps,” said April bluntly.

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so?”

Just then, the bell rang out across the plaza, and herds of students began bustling past each other to make their way to class. Sterling went to pick up her notebook, but April suddenly put her hand out across the table and pushed it back down again.

“ _Please_ , Sterling?” she breathed. Her eyes looked desperately into the other girl’s.

Sterling froze as she felt a pang of… warmth? Pity? Amusement? _Arousal_? Whatever feeling just rose up inside her, she knew it was caused by how sweet it sounded when the word ‘please’ fell out from April’s pretty mouth.

Oh, my goodness. _Oh, my goodness!_ What was she thinking?! Sterling pulled her gaze from April’s lips and quickly shook the feeling away… but not without indulging in it for at least a second.

“What’s in it for me?” She teased, turning away to pack her binder and notebook into her bag (but more so to hide the blush that had risen up in her cheeks).

“Uh….” April rose and hurried around to the other side of the table, eyes still fixed on Sterling. “The satisfaction of helping a fellow classmate?”

“Lame,” Sterling chuckled and stood up, lifting her bag by the straps. As she did so, her hands began to tremble. _Gosh, Sterling, pull yourself together_ , she thought.

“Are you shaking?” April asked and took a hold of Sterling’s hand in her own. The desperation in her voice was gone, and had been replaced with genuine concern. Sterling glanced at their touching hands then back up at April, and wanted to combust into nothing.

“What? No, my bag’s just heavy—“

“Did you have lunch?”

“I— No, I didn’t have time.”

April began to fish around in the school bag on her shoulder, just as Hannah B and Ezequiel came up behind her.

“April, you coming?” asked Ezequiel. “Mr Pedretti said whoever’s late has to do an extra 10 laps of the field.”

“Yeah,” added Hannah B, “and I really don’t wanna have to count an extra 10 times.”

“Yes, yes,” April said as she looked back up at Sterling and handed her a parchment-wrapped sandwich, along with a pen and paper. “Sterling here’s just doing something for me.”

The three stood watching Sterling expectedly. She pulled herself together enough to steady her hand and pen a very convincing note, ending it with Mother Stevens’ signature (which she still remembered from back in middle school).

“It’s Jamón ibérico and manchego,” April said as Sterling handed her the note. She leaned in slightly as their eyes met, and her voice became soft. “You should eat during lunch. Your blood sugar will get low otherwise.”

And with that, April, Hannah B and Ezequiel turned and left Sterling standing in the empty plaza, speechless, with nothing but half a sandwich and a rapidly-beating heart. As April walked through the doors into the hallway, she couldn’t help but feel a protective fluttering in her stomach. Sterling sitting on her lonesome, working so passionately and diligently to get ready for the tournament, was such a precious sight.

I mean… a pathetic sight. It was such a pathetic sight. Sure, they were on the same team, but they were still opponents to an extent; April wanted to be the one to make it to the final boss battle, to finally defeat the great, the mighty, the magnificent Craig Wu. But she appreciated the valiant effort Sterling was putting in. It would benefit April best, she thought to herself, if Sterling was at the top of her game, so that she actually made it a challenge instead of having to carry the team to the finals like every other year. Yes, that was the only reason she wanted Sterling to look after herself. And besides, Jesus fed the poor, didn’t he? It was the right, Christian thing to do, to make sure one’s subordinates were well-fed and looked after.

So, then and there, on her way to gym class with Sterling’s note gripped tightly in her hand, April decided she would do her utmost to look after Sterling, for her own benefit of course, whatever way she could.


End file.
